The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Project Summary: Towards a Performance Measurement Framework for Equity in Higher Education

Dr. Caroline Gopalkrishnan
A summary of a project commissioned by the former Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education and conducted by the University of Canberra and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, discussed at the Equity in Higher Education Policy Forum held 30 April and 1 May 2013 in Sydney.

CONTEXT

To fulfil its ambition of improving access and equity in the higher education sector, the Australian Government has invested in equity programs that support universities’ efforts to widen participation. These equity programs target specific groups that are underrepresented in higher education, including Indigenous Australians, those from low socioeconomic status (low SES) areas, people who live in regional and remote areas, and those with disabilities. The Government has set a target that by 2020, 20% of domestic higher education enrolments at the undergraduate level will be students from low SES areas. To understand whether equity outcomes are improving it is necessary to have a method of measuring those outcomes. A comprehensive performance measurement framework for equity outcomes in higher education is needed. Regular measurement of progress, or lack thereof, combined with evidence about the most effective equity interventions, is critical to bringing about change in equity outcomes. In this context the Department commissioned the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to develop a conceptually-based performance measurement framework for equity (MFE) in higher education.

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Project Summary: Towards a Performance Measurement Framework for Equity in Higher Education
C Gopalkrishnan, 2013
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